Horrifying escalator accident kills one, injures 28 in Beijing metro

An as-of-yet unexplained “malfunction” of a Bejing metro escalator has killed at least one person and seriously injured several others in a nightmarish accident. The photos from this thing are brutal, witnesses say the whole metro “smells of blood.” From Xinhua:

One person has died and 28 others have been injured — two seriously — after an escalator accident Tuesday at a Beijing subway stop.The incident happened at 9:36 a.m. at the A exit of the Zoo Station on Line 4, said the information office of the Beijing municipal government.The office said some people on the escalator fell down after “an escalator malfunction,” without elaborating the nature of the malfunction.

It’s hard to imagine what exactly went wrong that could have resulted in such a disaster. People are simply saying the escalator “lost control.” The dead is said to be a 13-year-old boy, who was near the bottom of the escalator when the accident occurred.(Photos via Sohu.)